Quit Taking It Personally (QTIP) is a concept used in different modalities of therapy. I chose it as the title for my musings because whatever it is, it usually isn't about me.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

One Strong Belief (courtesy of Buster)

I am indebted to Buster Benson for his excellent 750words site which has helped me developthe habit of daily writing. And today he asks "What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family?"

I believe that everyone has a story to tell. Not everyone has to listen to everyone else's story and it is not possible to do so. From listening to any one, if I can learn one thing and take it with me or put it into action, it has been a successful encounter for me. It wasn't always this way for me. I was not a good listener. Too much in my own head to put myself in another's shoes, really imagine what it would be like to be someone else and feel what he or she was feeling, imagine where they had been and where they were going and what they were thinking and feeling right now. We are more than we can say or communicate in action, and I only see the instant that I see, and what do I really remember, is it accurate, do I really perceive what is right in front of me?

At the same time, I have been easily influenced by one person's point of view or another's, one that is persuasive enough, and it helps me to ask is that the entire story, or is there more, to filter from my experience and where I am right now. And asking questions becomes a practice generating more questions. It is good to know that, and to feel love and tolerance for others even if I might not like what they do at a given moment.